Nadal Crushes Verdasco To Claim Sixth Straight Monte Carlo Title
Photos: © Henk Abbink
Rafael Nadal felt right at home walking onto Monte Carlo’s Court Central one win removed from his first title in 11 months.
Nadal spent the next 90 minutes serving first-time finalist Fernando Verdasco with an eviction notice.
Covering the red clay court as if it were his own backyard, Nadal snapped his title drought in masterfully merciless style with a commanding 6-0, 6-1 conquest of Verdasco to capture his Open Era-record sixth straight Monte Carlo Masters crown.
It was Nadal’s first title since he beat Novak Djokovic to win Rome last May — a streak of 13 tournaments without a title.
The four-time French Open champion extended his winning streak in the Principality to 32 matches in collecting his 16th career Masters shield, tying World No. 1 Roger Federer for second place on the all-time list behind Andre Agassi, who won a record 17 career Masters 1000 championships.
In an all-Spanish final, Nadal humbled Davis Cup teammate Verdasco, dominating the rallies and often driving his overwhelmed opponent off the court in pursuit of his drives deviously demanding drives.
“I have been feeling at home here. I played my best week for a long time,” said Nadal. “It’s unbelievable, it’s my favorite tournament.”
The second-seeded Spaniard did not surrender a set, dropping just 14 games in tournament victories over Dutch qualifier Thiemmo de Bakker, German left hander Michael Berrer, 2002-2003 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, 11th-seeded Ferrer and Verdasco, who beat 2009 runner-up Novak Djokovic in Saturday’s semifinals.
Nadal carried an imposing 9-0 career record vs. the World No. 12 onto the court (he had dropped just three sets in those nine career clashes) and Verdasco, who was playing in his first Masters 1000 final, showed little sense of self belief from the outset.
The sixth-seeded Verdasco won just 5 of 18 points played on his serve and was broken three times in a lopsided opening set that set the tone for the match.
Topics: Andre Agassi, Career Record, Clay Court, De Bakker, Eviction Notice, Feeling At Home, Fernando Verdasco, French Open Champion, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Left Hander, Michael Berrer, Monte Carlo Masters, Novak Djokovic, Principality, Rafael Nadal, Red Clay, Roger Federer, Self Belief, Title Drought, Title Photos, Tournament Victories
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